Electrified conveyer



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 F. C. HARRIS ELECTRIFIED oo NvEYER INVENTOR. y FFA/wr CHA Pie/s A 70E/VEG June 15, 194s.

Filed Dec. 22, 1944 June 15, 1948. 411 Q HARRIS ELECTRIFIED CONVEYER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Deo. 22, 1944 June 15, 1948 F. c. HARRIS ELETRIFIED CQNVEYER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Deo. 22, 1944 w INVENTOR. FFA/VK C' HA IEP/S A TTOE/VEYS Patented June 15, 1948 ELECTRIFIED CONVEYER Frank C. Harris, -Bay Village, Ohio, assignor to Rail Company, Cleveland,

The American Mono of Ohio Ohio, a corporation Application December 22, 1944, Serial No. 569,313

2 Claims. l

The present invention relates generally to over- -head conveyors and particularly to electrified monorail conveyors in which the current carrying bus bars are shielded Vagainst contact with any object other vthan the current collectors.

Overhead monorail systems involve a number of different parts, including curved tracks, tongue and guide switches, turntables, lift sections and interlocks. Any satisfactory electrification for such a system includes current carrying bus bars and current collectors. The bus bars should have ample capacity to carry current suiiicient for driving the trolleys, hoisting equipment,y grabs andthe many other electrical apparatuses associated with the system. The

bus bars and collectors 'should be capable of constant, continuous, and heavyservlce and at high trolley speeds. 'The bus Abars and collectors should be of such maximum dimensions as will permit their use thruout the entire system including its various above mentioned `parts and should also be applicable to existing systems without necessitating alterations thereof. The bus bars should be of such 4construction that `standard materials vmay be used and assembled with the usual dimensional tolerances and without the need for sensitive adjustment. The collectors should'be capable of moving across gaps between adjacent ends of bus bars, as in switches and the like, and also of accommodating themselves to misalignments of the bus bars and maintaining contact with the bus bars during shim- -mying, jumping or swinging of the trolleys.

It is desirable that electried `overhead monorail lsystems should be shielded in such a way that they will -not constitute a hazard to human life vand that the collection of foreign material on the Ibus bars will be largely or entirely prevented.

Altho various proposals have been made heretofore for electrication of monorail conveyor systems and shielding such electriiication, none of those proposals, so 'far as I know, has possessed all the foregoing requirements. `Some `of the proposed shielded electrications could `be applied only 'to monorail systems built around them; others could not be used in switches, turn-tables and the like; and still others could be applied only to a few existing monorail systems. 'The present 'invention makes Ait possible to construct simple, yet highly effective, shielded electrification for monorail conveyor systems embodying all those important requirements. The electrification and shielding lof lthis rinvention is applicable to many existing conveyor systems without material change thereof, is readily appli- 2 cable to switches, turn-tables, lifts and the 'like without provision of additional space, and standard materials may be used with the usuai tolerances in construction, spacing and alignment. In other words, this invention provides an electried and shielded overhead conveyor system which is of general, if not universal, application, is inexpensive to construct and maintain, and virtually, if not actually, proof against injury to Workmen traceable to accidental contact with the current carrying Abus bars of the system.

The present invention will be better understood by those skilled in the art from the following description and the drawing which accompany and form a part of this specication and in which invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, side elevational View similar to Fig. '1 of a modied adaptation of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional View taken in line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a tongue switch embodying another vmodification of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 5; and,

Fig. 7 is -a fragmentary, side elevational view of the apparatus of Fig. 5, partly broken away.

The apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a rail l, a current collecting trolley designated as an entirety by numeral 2 and a bus bar shield 3.

The rail l is of the vI-beam type and comprises a web `4 having top flanges 5 to be attached to lan overhead support and outwardly extending anges 6 at its lower edge to serve as tracks for the trolley wheels. Angle brackets 'l are secured to rail web 4 well above anges 6 for a purpose presently to 'be described.

The trolley assembly 2 comprises a yoke, wheels and current collectors. The yoke It extends beneath flanges 6 and includes arms Il extending upwardly therefrom past the sides of anges 6. Axles vI2 are secured in arms Il near their upper ends and wheels i3 are rotatably mounted on axles I2 and are positioned to run on flanges 6 with the wheel flanges I4 `being spaced a short distance from the adjacent edges of flanges 6. It

will'be understood that Wheels of different diameters are used in apparatus of the type being described, the wheels I3 being the larger of these sizes. Each arm II carries rods I extending fore and aft thereof and parallel to and preferably at a higher elevation than ilanges 6. These rods I5 may be screw-threaded into arms II and locked in position by nuts I6. If desired, the rods I5 may be replaced by a single rod which extends freely thru arm I I .and is prevented from rotating as by nuts I5 or in any other suitable manner.

Current collectors are pivotally mounted ,on pivot means I5. Each current collector of Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a member which is disposed centrally of an arm II or symmetrically with respect thereto. This member 20; comprises a` shoe-carrying body 2I extending parallel to rail web 4 and legs 2| extending from the ends of body 20 downwardly on the foreand aft sides of arm II where they join sleeves 23 `which are turnably mounted on pivot means I5. Pivot means i5 have headed outer ends which seat in recesses in nuts 24. VThese nuts 24 cooperate with spring means (not shown) and legs 22 to urge body 20 toward web 4 of rail I. Each body'r l2li carries. a current collecting shoe 25 which slidably ,engages against a bus bar 28 or 29. It will be 'understood that the current collectors 2l! for bars 29 are like but enough shorter vertically than the collectors for bars 28 for the shoes to engage bars 29. The bus bars 28 and 29 just mentioned are mounted in insulating blocks 30 which in turn are secured to opposite sides of web 4 of rail I. Y

It Awill be understood that current conducting wires (not shown) may be connected to shoes 25 `and carried along legs 2l and thence to` a motor (not shown).

Thin metal shielding sheets 35 extend along rail I and are supported by angle brackets 1. Each sheet 35 is bent to extend outwardly on brackets 1 over the bus bars and downwardly past the bars to a point below the lower bus bar 28. Splices 36 span the space between theadiacent ends lof sheets 35. Bo1ts31 which extend upwardly thru angle brackets 1, sheets 35 and splices 36, and nuts 38 serve to hold these several parts in assembled position. Bolts 39 which extend thru the sides of sheets 35 and splices 43l; Iand nuts 40 serve to hold these parts in assembled position. Guards 4I, carried by the rail I, extend outwardly beneath the lower bus bars to beyond the vertical edges of bars 2'8 and 29. Shields 35 and 4I define spaces for collectors 2U and cooperate to prevent engagement with the bus bars of any object, such as a metal rod, accidentally inserted into those spaces.

From the foregoing description and Figs. 1 and 2 it will be understood that the current collectors are centrally -or symmetrically mounted on the yoke fore and aft, take up very little fore and aft space and lie between the vertical planes of the -outer sides of the yoke. VFor these reasons the pressure of the shoe of each current collector which is taken by the yoke does not tend to turn the latter or laterally bend thel pivot rods, the pressure against the adjacent bus bar may be regulated initially and will not vary appreciably even when the trolley is going around curves, and the dimensions lof the collector are such that it will not interfere with the shortest curves, whether they be inside or outside curves, or with parts of switches. The shielding can be applied to existing installations and does not require changes in the dimensions of such installa-,- tions for the shielding, as well as the collectors,

are within the normal width of the trolley yokes.

It will also be understood that the bus bars are shielded against the possibility of being contacted by the parts of a workmans body or by a metal object in his hands. The sheets 35 pre vent such access to the bus bars vertically from above and below and horizontally from the side.

If desired, the top portion of shielding sheets 3-5 may be extended into virtual contact with web 4 of the rail, thereby preventing ingress of foreign material into the top of the space occupied by the bus bars where it could collect on the bus bars.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the rail 4U is' of Ia built-up type and includes a plate 4I serving as a web v oi the rail, a section 42 secured to the lower edge .ofthe wheel, then toward each other and then downwardly parallel on the fore and aft sides of the arms IIa of yoke II to sleevesr 41. By this arrangement the parts of body 20 are supported above the wheel treads for limited pivoting movement toward andaway from the rail and legs 2Ia.v remain out of contact with the wheel ilanges.V

The sleeves 41 cooperate with pivot meansI5 and a spring (not shown) in the manner above described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2.l Each body 45 carries a bracket `48 which extends outwardly beyond bus bars 28 and 29 and then upwardly and carries a collector shoe 49 to engage one of those bars.v

Y AAs in Figs. 1 and 2,'the -bus bars are well shield- .ed and the device is compact and possesses all the other advantages of the apparatuses of Figs.

l and 2. However, the shielding in Figs. Brand 4 comprises shield sheets 50 like shields 35 of Figs. l and 2 except that at theirlower edges they are bent inwardly into the V-shaped space be` use of a trolley consisting of two yokes and a load bar .of varying lengths connecting the yokes. .When current collectors are mounted between two such y-okes and the trolley is going around a curve, the pressure of the current collecting shoe against the bus bars will vary considerably. When the collectors are on the inside of a curve their supports will move away from vertical lines dropped from the bus bars, thus lessening the pressure of the shoes on the bars or even breaking contact between the shoes and bars; and when the collectors are moving around the outside of the curve the pressure will increase because the collector supports will move toward vertical lines dropped from the bus bars and thus kincrease the pressure of the shoes on the bars. Furthermore, when collectors are mounted between trolleys on a load bar the shielding on inside curves must be moved outwardly on such curves to accommodate the outwardmovement of the collectors. In the present construction, where the collectors are disposed centrallyy with respect to the yoke, they maintain the sam'e p0- sition relative to the bus bars while moving along straight track and also around both inside and outside curves.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 the present invention Ais shown in a modified form as applied to a tongue switch. As Fig. 5 shows, a section of track 60 is connected by hinge 6| to a fixed track 62 and may be swung into alignment with any one of the three opposed iixed tracks 63. Tracks 6U, 62 and 63 may be like the tracks shown in Figs. 1 to 4 but, as shown, comprise vertically short rails suspended from overhead supports by rods or straps 64 located at intervals along' the rails leaving spaces therebetween. These tracks are equipped with bus bars 28 and 29 and shields 35. A guard 64 is positioned below the lower bus bars 28 and above the inwardly projecting parts of shields 35 to prevent any article, such as a metal rod, from being inserted into the opening between the bottom ends of the shields 35 and coming into contact with any of the bus bars. The trolley is like those of Figs. 1 to 4 and the current collectors resemble those of Figs. 3 and 4. Each of these collectors comprises a body 65 which pivotally carries a c01- lector shoe E6 and is connected by rods 61 to legs 68 which pivo-t on pins I5. Springs 'l0 on pins 69 press legs 68 and body 65 toward the bus bars. Similar springs may be used with the collectors of Figs. 1 to 4. The adjacent ends of shields 35 may be connected by splices 'l l Current from shoes 66 may be conducted thru cable 12 to a motor (not shown). As Fig. 5 indicates, the present shielded electrication can be applied to an existing tongue switch without any change being made in the dimensions of the switch. It can be applied equally well to glide switches, turn-tables, lifts and the like without changes in their dimensions.

Having thus described the invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, I state that what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined i-n what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In an overhead conveyor comprising a rail having outwardly extending flanges near its lower edge, a current conductor bus bar iixed in position parallel to the rail above one of said anges, a trolley yoke extending transversely beneath the rail and having arms extending up past said iianges, wheel shafts in the upper ends of said arms and wheels on said shaft to run on said flanges, the combination of a current collector carried by said yoke and spring means urging said collector toward said bus bar, said collector comprising a shoe slidable along said Ibus bar, a body carrying said shoe and disposed substantially symmetrically with respect to the vertical plane of the axis of the adjacent wheel, and legs connecting said body to said yoke, said legs being pivotally connected at their lower ends to the fore and aft sides of the adjacent yoke arm close to the outer side of the adjacent wheel, said legs extending fore and aft respectively to near the ends of the horizontal diameter of said wheel and then extending upwardly and being connected to said body, the horizontal spacing of said upwardly extending parts of the legs permitting swinging movement of parts of said legs in the vertical plane of, and above the wheel.

2. In an overhead conveyor comprising a rail having outwardly extending langes near its lower edge, a current conductor bus bar xed in position parallel to the rail above one of said flanges, a trolley yoke extending transversely beneath the rail and having arms extending up past said lianges, wheel shafts in the upper ends of said arms and wheels on said shafts to run on said anges, the combination of a current collector carried by said yoke, spring means urging said collector toward said bus bar, and means for shielding said bus bar, said collector comprising a, shoe slidable along said bus bar, a body carrying said shoe and disposed substantially symmetrically with respect to the vertical plane of the axis of the adjacent wheels, and legs connecting said body to said yoke, said legs being pivotally connected at their lower ends to the fore and aft sides of the adjacent yoke arm close to the outer side of the adjacent wheel, said legs extending fore and aft respectively to substantially the ends of the horizontal diameter of said wheel and then extending upwardly and being connected to said body, horizontal spacing 0i said upwardly extending parts of the legs permitting swinging movement of parts of said legs in the vertical plane of, and above the wheel, said shielding means including a top shield extending outwardly over the top and down past the outer side of said bar to below the bar and a bottom shield extending from the rail beneath and closely adjacent to said bar, the free edges of said top and bottom shields being separated from each other to provide a space in which the said legs may move toward and away from said rail while the collector shoe follows the bus bar.

FRANK C. HARRIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS are of record in the 

